Closures



April 10, 1956 O. RUBIN CLOSUREIS Filed Sept. 3, 1953 27 FIG. 1.

FIG. 3) 27 2; J! 22 j I 1,; J7 I x 21 V3 o I, I: 1 f/ 42 A V/ 4i ,3

INVENTOR.

SCAR RUBIN W T k P W ATTOQNEY$ United States Patent C CLOSURES Oscar Rubin, Bronx, N. Y.

Application September 3, 1953, Serial No. 378,223

4 Claims. (Cl. 215-39) The present invention relates generally to closures, and is particularly directed to a novel closure adapted to provide both a relatively permanent seal during long periods of non-use and a seal permitting ready opening and resealing of a container when frequent use of the contents is desired.

'lhe particular embodiment of the present invention, which is illustrated in the drawings and which will be described hereinafter in greater detail, comprises generally a readily removable seal adapted to close a container, and a crimped cap covering the seal and permaneutly securing the latter in closing relation with respect to the container, the crimped cap being provided with means facilitating its removal and permitting removal of the seal.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a closure of the type described which may be inexpensively applied to containers by mass production techniques so as to Withstand shocks and jars incurred in transportation and the like, and which can be quickly and easily converted by the ultimate consumer so as to permit of ready removal and effective rescaling with a minimum of effort.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a closure having the characteristi s mentioned above which is equally well adapted for use with both pressure packed and vacuum packed containers, that is, the device of the present invention, without alteration, may be employed to seal containers having internal fluid pressure or vacuum.

Still another object of the present invention is to pro-v vide a closure of the type described which includes novel means permitting removal of the cap either separately from the seal or together with the latter.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a closure of the type described which is simple in construction and durable in operation, which is ettective for its intended purposes, and which can be manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features or" construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will be indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a partial elevational View showing the open end of a bottle and a closure therefor constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig.2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing an intermediate stage in the removal of the closure; and

Fig. 4 is an elevational view, partly in section, showing the closure of the present invention with the covering cap removed.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the

embodiment of the invention illustrated therein comprises a container or bottle 10 having a pouring neck 11 open at its upper end or mouth 12. Adjacent to the mouth 12, the bottle neck is formed with a flaring internal surface 13. Exteriorly of the bottle neck 11 there are provided a pair of annular bulging surfaces or beads 14 and 15, which define therebetween an annular groove 16.

While the configuration of the particular container 10 has been described above in great detail, it will be appreciated that the closure of the present invention may be used with any form of container having at least one open end.

The closure of the present invention is generally desig nated 2B, and includes a seal 21 extending over and closing the bottle mouth 12, and a cap 22 covering the seal and secured to the latter. The seal or inner cap 21 is preferably molded or cast of plastic material, but it is understood that any suitable material having the requisite softness and flexibility may be employed. The seal 21 includes an anular top or disc portion 25 which extends over the open bottle end and seats on the mouth 12. Extending along the periphery of the top or disc portion 25 and depending therefrom is an anular flange or skirt 26 which has its inner surface adapted to conformably engage With the bead 14 of the botde neck ii. The outer surface of the flange 26 is formed with an annular groove 27; and, an annular head 28 extends along the lower edge of the flange 26 and seats in the annular groove 16,-all for reasons which will become apparent hereinafter.v Spaced inwardly from the flange 2a. the top or disc portion25 of the seal 21 is formed with a depending, anular rib or inner skirt 3%, which has its outer surface confoirnably engaging the flared bottle neck surface 13.

The cap 22 has a top or disc portion 35 arranged in overlying spaced relation with respect to the seal top or disc portion 25, and a peripheral margin 36 which is provided with a plurality of crimped portions 37 so as to bend the peripheral margin downwardly along the flange 26. It will be noted, as seen in Fig. 2, that the peripheral margin 36 is spaced from the flange 26, as at 38,

and is in gripping engagement with the flange'26, as at 3, that is, crimped peripheral edge 36 is indented, as at 39, so as to project into the groove 27 in pressing engage ment with the flange 26 and abutting the upper side of the bead 28.

It will now be understood that the seal 23 conformablythat the seal may not be raised by fluid pressure from; within the container, nor can the seal be sucked into,

the container by the force of a vacuum therein. Further, it will be apparent that the rib or inner skirt 30, being snugly and conformably insertable into the bottle neck, serves to properly locate the seal on the bottle mouth; and, inaddition, the flexibility of the rib 3% will permit the latter to be forced against the internal bottle neck surface 13 by pressure from within the container. In this manner, the internal pressure will serve to further or increase the sealing effect of the top or disc portion 25.

Extending downwardly from one edge portion ofthe peripheral margin 36 is a tongue 40 which lies adjacent to but is spaced from the head 15 on the bottle neck 11. As seen in Fig. 1, the tongue 4%) is provided with verti cally extending stifiening ribs 41 which ribs are extensions of the adjacent crimps 37 and serve to rigidity the tongue with respect to the adjacent peripheral margin portion 42, as defined by the dashed line 43. The dashed line represents a weakened portion such that upward and outward manipulation of the tongue 46 will eifect severance of the tongue and adjacent portion 42 along the line 43 to detach the tongue and adjacent portion from 'cap 22 from its covering relation with respect to the seal 21. This may be eflected either with or without tools, as desired.

As seen in Fig. 2, severance of the tongue 40 and adja cent portion 42 along the weakened portion &3 will permit communicationbetween the ambient atmosphere and the space intermediate the seal 21 and the cap 22. Thus, the formation of a vacuum in such space will be prevented; or, the existence of a vacuum therein will be destroyed so 7 that the cap 22 may be removed from the seal 21 without any suction force therebetween. It will be noted that if the container 10 is vacuum packed, the communication of the atmosphere with the space betwen the seal and cap will not effect movement of the seal into the bottle, as the crimped margin is in abutting engagement with the upper side of the head 28. In this case, the cap 22 and seal 21 may be removed together.

After the cap 22 has been removed by severance of the tongue and adjacent portion 42 and springing of the margin 36, the seal 21 may be manually removed and replaced as desired. The seal may be used by itself, as illustrated in Fig. 4, and provide efiective sealing action, or it may be used together with the cap 22, the latter serving to morefirmly secure the seal 21 in closing relation with the bottle mouth. 7

From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention provides a closure whichfully accomplishes its intended objects, and which is well adapted to meet practical conditions of use.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A closure for a container having an open end, said closure comprising a soft, flexible seal having a flat body portion adapted to transversely overlie and elose'off the open end of the container and having a depending periphcral outer skirt portion and a depending inner skirt portion radially spaced inwardly from the outer skirt portion and concentric therewith, said skirt portions being adapted to be disposed tightly around the inner and outer surfaces ofthe' container adjacent the open end to position the body portion of the seal over the open end, said outer skirt portion having a circumferential groove formed on its outer surface below the body portion, a caphaving a flat top wall overlying the body portion and spaced entirely therefrom, said top wall having a depending margin portion disposed around the outer skirt portion and spaced radially outwardlytherefrom above the groove and being crimped into the groove and holding the outer skirt portion in tight interlocked engagement with the container, a tongue formed integrally with the margin portion and depending thereform at a point along its circumference, severance lines defining a prolongation of the tongue through a portion of the crimped part and extending above the groove so that an upward and outward pull on the tongue will sever the portion of the crimped part to weaken the gripping action of the crimped part and to communicate the communicating spaces between the top wall and body portion and between the outer skirt portion and the margin portion with the ambient atmosphere to thereby prevent the formation of a vacuum in said spaces.

2. A closure for a container having a neck portion terminating in an open month, said closure comprising a soft, flexible seal having a liar bodyportion adapted to be seated over the mouth and having a depending, peripheral outer skirt portion and 2. depending inner skirt portion spaced radially inward from the outer skirt por-- tion, said skirt portions being adapted to be disposed tightly around the inner and outer surfaces of the neck portion below the mouth to hold the body portion over the mouth, said outer skirt portion having a circumferential groove formed on its outer surface and having an annular head on its lower edge below the groove, said head being adapted to engage the outer surface of theneck portion to anchor the seal thereon, a cap having a flat top wall overlying the body portion and spaced entirely therefrom, said top wall having a depending, annularmarginal flange disposed around the outer skirt portion and being of a larger internal diameter than the external diameter of the skirt portion so as to be spaced therefrom above the groove with the space between the flange and skirt portion being in communication with the space between the top wall of the cap and body portion of the seal, said flange having its lower edge portion crimped' inwardly into the groove to bear against the top of the a bead and position the cap on the seal and hold the seal on the neck portion, a pull tongue integrally formed with a circumferential portion of the flange and extending downwardly therefrom so as to normally lie axially alongside the neck portion, said flange having such circum-- ferential portion separated by severance lines defining'a prolongation of the tonguewhich extends above the groove, whereby an upward and outwardpull on' the tongue will sever said circumferential portion to weaken the gripping action of the crimped portion and to communicate the communicating spaces with the ambient atmosphere to thereby prevent the formation of a vacuum in said spaces.

3. A closure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inner skirt portion is flared to a thin free edge and has an outer surface which is complemental in-curvature to the inner surface of the neckportion at the mouth, said inner sldrt' portion being conformably and snugly insertable into the neck portion and being forced against the inner surface of the neck portion by pressure from within the container and by the outer skirt portion.

4. A closure as claimed in claim 3, wherein the freeedge of the inner skirt portion terminates on aline passing transversely of the neck portion and extending through the groove.

References Cited in the fileof'this patent Fong Nov. 17, 1953 

